Authorities link '87 rape cases to inmate

SUMMERVILLE — Authorities have connected the DNA of a man already behind bars to two unsolved rapes from two decades ago in Dorchester County.

Herman S. Rigby Jr., 50, a South Carolina prison inmate, is charged with kidnapping and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to arrest affidavits.

On March 27, 1987, a man kidnapped a woman from the Do-Rite Club on U.S. Highway 78 and committed sexual battery, an affidavit said.

On July 23 of the same year, Rigby's birthday, another woman was abducted from a McDonald's in Summerville and driven to a dirt road in the Jedburg area, where she was sexually assaulted, an affidavit said.

DNA samples from Rigby match evidence collected in both cases, Dorchester County Detective John Garrison said in the affidavits.

Rigby also faces multiple charges from the Summerville Police Department, said First Sgt. Mike Miller of the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office.

Rigby, formerly of Georgetown, has been in a state prison since 2002 on a charge of common law robbery, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections Web site.

Rigby's criminal history dates back to 1983 and includes convictions for grand larceny, entering a bank to steal and criminal domestic violence, his record shows.

Authorities on Tuesday were tight-lipped about the Summerville cases.

They plan to hold a press conference this afternoon at the Dorchester County Detention Center Annex at 212 Deming Way in Summerville.

Reach Nadine Parks at 937-5573 or nparks@postandcourier.com.